1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to printers and printing systems. More particularly, the disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for evaluating the programming of an identifier on print media, such as an RFID tag, within a printing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inkjet and laser printers have become commonplace equipment in most workplace and home computing environments. Today, many printers are multi-functional assemblies capable of printing on a large array of print media including letterhead, paper envelopes and labels. A recent innovation in the printing industry involves the manufacturing of print media with embedded radio frequency signatures in the form of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) transponders or tags. These tags, sometimes called “Smart Labels”, may be used with a variety of existing printing methods.
Embedded print media may include a backing material (sometimes referred to as the “web”) upon which a label is applied, with a RFID tag sandwiched in between the label and the backing material. There may be one or more labels on the web and the sheet, as presented, may be part label and part plain paper. In some cases there may be more than one tag arrayed across the width and down the length of the media such that multiple columns and/or rows of tags are contained on the print media.
Printing on media with embedded RFID tags is rapidly becoming a growing area of label printing. Each tag on a sheet can be printed with certain data, and the RFID tag embedded within that media can be used to allow individualized processing of user associated data. For example, a shipping label might have the delivery address and a package tracking ID printed on it, while the corresponding tag would be programmed with the same information. The delivery information may then be read from the tag, whether or not the package is positioned so that the tag is visible.
Field service personnel are often required to verify that a printing device is working properly before, during and after a repair has been made. However, an RFID enabled printing device may pose particular problems for the technician. For example, while print defects introduced by a malfunctioning printer may be readily visible, it may be difficult to determine whether an RFID tag has been successfully programmed.